Albus Potter and the Forbidden Forest
by JJessicaK
Summary: Next Generation Harry Potter fic. Albus has just started Hogwarts and he's very excited to learn magic and go to school with all of his friends. There has been absolutely no danger in the wizarding world since his dad defeated Voldemort all those years ago and there won't be any while he's attending Hogwarts...right?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is actually written by Alyssa Chang and Hannah Potter. I just edit and upload the story.**

Chapter One: The Hogwarts Express

The scarlet train picked up speed. In a compartment, Albus waved goodbye to his father, Harry Potter. He slouched back into a seat next to his cousin, Rose, and fingered his Hogwarts letter. His snowy owl, named Hedwig after his father's owl, hooted loudly. James and Victoire entered, arguing about Victoire snogging Teddy in public, quickly followed by Dominique and Roxanne.

"I can't believe you were _snogging _Teddy, our Teddy, in front of everyone!" James exclaimed. "Do you realize how embarrassing that is?"

"Give it a rest, James, she's not listening." Dominique, Victoire's younger sister, interrupted.

Though they were siblings, Victoire and Dominique looked nothing alike. Victoire had long silvery-blonde hair that went down to her waist, while Dominique had short hair streaked with purple highlights, which she frequently dyed. Victoire's eyes were a light blue, while Dominique's were so dark they were almost purple.

Roxanne, yet another cousin of Albus's, nodded in agreement to her best friend's statement.

"I can't believe we're finally going to Hogwarts!" Rose said excitedly to Albus. "I hope I'm in Gryffindor, although Ravenclaw would be alright."

"As long as I'm not in Slytherin, I'm fine with any House." Albus responded, thinking of how his father had chosen Gryffindor instead of Slytherin in his Sorting.

Before Rose could continue, an elderly woman with a sweet cart slid the compartment door open.

"Would any of you like anything off the cart?" She said kindly.

As soon as Albus saw the sweets, his eyes widened to the size of Bludgers. There were Cauldron Cakes, Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans, Pumpkin Pasties, Licorice Wands, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Acid Pops, Warble's Gummy Witch Hats, Peppermint Snitches, and many more. Before he could react, James leapt up and sped out of the compartment. He returned with a vast stack of Pumpkin Pasties.

"Since it's the first day of Hogwarts, and I'm feeling generous, I got Pumpkin Pasties for all of us. And, Al, here's a Peppermint Snitch for you." James declared as he entered.

James tossed the Peppermint Snitch to him, along with a couple of Pumpkin Pasties. He handed everyone else some as well. When James had given out all the Pumpkin Pasties, Albus spotted a Cauldron Cake that James was unwrapping.

"Hey, why do you have a Cauldron Cake, and we don't?" Albus asked.

"If you want to go up to the cart and get one, be my guest." James replied, raising an eyebrow. "And in case you didn't notice, I bought this with my own money, not yours."

Albus muttered an apology as his face turned red. To hide his embarrassment, he took the Peppermint Snitch out of its box, and let it go. The candy immediately zoomed to the other end of the compartment. It flew, dodged, and escaped Albus's fingers for a good five minutes until he finally caught it.

"Nice job." said Dominique. "It took me half an hour to catch mine. You should definitely be Gryffindor Seeker, and you would be way better than Jones, anyways."

"Who is Jones?" asked Albus.

"Oh, Jones is a seventh year this year. Though I think you will have to wait until next year for the Quidditch team. You could ask Professor Longbottom if you can play, though. It's worth a try." Dominique replied.

"Anyways, we should get our robes on. We're almost there." James said.

Soon, they were all in school robes, and the Hogwarts Express had arrived. Albus and Rose were instructed to leave their luggage on the train, and dismounted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Sorting

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Hagrid shouted over the din. "Hullo, Albus, Rose. Seems like it was jus' yesterday yer parents were in these boats."

"Hi, Hagrid." Albus and Rose replied.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out, spotting five first years climbing into a boat.

A girl with long black hair, and grey eyes climbed out, and walked over to Albus and Rose.

"Mind if I come with you guys?" She asked. "I'm Morgan Faye."

"You can come." Albus said.

Rose was about to step into the boat, but she shrieked and leapt back.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Hagrid asked, worried.

"Spider!" She cried.

"Yer jus' like yer father. Nothing to worry about, he won't hurt you." Hagrid reassured her, lifting the spider out of the boat and setting it down in his own. "Malfoy!"

A boy, with blond hair, and a pale, pointed face was standing on the shore.

"Get in a boat!" Hagrid ordered.

At that moment, Albus realized that their boat was the only one with a seat left. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy strode over there and sat in the empty seat.

"FORWARD!" Hagrid shouted, and the boats glided forward.

An awkward silence spread between the occupant of Albus's boat. Scorpius didn't move, and just kept staring straight ahead. Rose slid away from Scorpius, who was sitting next to her. He didn't look at her, but just looked at the lake.

"Why is it so quiet?" Morgan asked abruptly.

Albus and Rose stared at her.

"Seriously, why?" Morgan repeated.

"Well, I'm Rose Weasley, he's Albus Potter, and that's Scorpius Malfoy." Rose finally answered.

"So?" Morgan asked.

"My dad was the archenemy of his father when he was at school." Albus continued. "You know, Harry Potter?"

"I'm Muggleborn." Morgan responded.

Albus looked at Scorpius, expecting a nasty comment about Morgan's blood status. Strangely, Scorpius didn't react.

"My dad defeated Lord Voldemort, and Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater." Albus explained.

"Oh, of course." Morgan said. "I get it now."

Scorpius had still not said a word.

"Firs' years! The castle is jus' round this bend!" Hagrid called, breaking the silence.

Scorpius looked up for the first time. He still did not look at Albus, Rose, or Morgan. He just watched the boats approach Hogwarts. They climbed out, and entered the room by the Great Hall. A tall man stood in front of them.

"I am Professor Quenas, Transfiguration teacher, and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts, as well as Head of Hufflepuff. You will soon enter the Great Hall to be Sorted. Walk up to the stool and put on the Sorting Hat you will find there when your name is called. You will be Sorted into either Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. The Hat's song will explain. Into the Hall, now." The man explained.

The first years walked into the Great Hall. A ragged hat sat on a stool. As they watched, a rip opened in the hat, and it began to sing.

"" The Sorting Hat bowed to each table, and then became still.

A few people joined each House, though Albus recognized none.

"Faye, Morgan!" Professor Quenas shouted.

Morgan jogged up to the stool. She slipped the Hat on, and it paused for a second.

"Gryffindor!" It cried.

Morgan pulled it off, placed it on the stool, and joined the cheering Gryffindor table.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" Professor Quenas called at last.

"Gryffindor!" The Sorting Hat bellowed.

Albus's mouth dropped open. No applause came from any of the tables. Albus could see James gaping at Scorpius. No one had expected the son of the notorious Draco Malfoy to be in Gryffindor. Scorpius held his head high, and walked down to the Gryffindor table. Morgan shifted over to make space for him.

"Potter, Albus!" Professor called after some other names.

Albus nervously strode up to the stool. He put the hat on his head.

"_I remember Sorting your father and brother. I know exactly where to put you, Albus Severus Potter." _ The Sorting Hat said to Albus. "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindors cheered louder than for anyone else as Albus made his way to the table. Morgan had saved two seats for him and Rose. Unfortunately, Scorpius was sitting next to one of them. Albus sat down next to Morgan, rather than Scorpius. If Scorpius was insulted, he didn't show it. Many names later, Rose was called. The Hat paused for a long time.

"Gryffindor!" It finally decided.

Rose hurried down to the seat next to Albus. Only when she had sat down, did she realize who was on the other side of her. She glanced at Scorpius, blushed, and quickly looked away. Rose was the last name, so the feast appeared on the tables. They ate the delicious food quickly, then made their way up to the dormitories. James was waiting in the common room.

"Congratulations, Al." He said as Albus climbed in, after telling the Fat Lady the password. "You too, Rosie."

James froze again as Scorpius followed her in.

"How are you in Gryffindor?" James finally asked.

"Just give him a chance, will you?" Rose said. "He won't necessarily be like Draco Malfoy."

Scorpius walked past James, and had started up the spiral stairs to the first year boys' dormitory. He stopped, turned around, and spoke for the first time since they met him.

"Thanks, Rose." Scorpius climbed swiftly out of sight.

"We should get to bed." Morgan said, once again breaking the silence. "Classes start tomorrow."

They each headed off to their dormitories. Scorpius had vanished behind the curtains of his four-poster bed. Albus glared at the curtains hiding him.

"_How could a Malfoy be in Gryffindor?"_ Albus thought as he got into his bed. "_His father was a Death Eater."_

Albus fell asleep soon after, and slept peacefully.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Defense Against the Dark Arts

The next morning, he quickly pulled on his robes, and gathered his supplies for the days classes. He had Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws, Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs again, and finally Potions with the Slytherins. Tomorrow, he would be going to Charms instead of Herbology. He hurried down the spiral staircase. Rose and Morgan were waiting for him.

"Come on, Albus. We have to get to breakfast before it ends." Rose said. "Aren't you excited that we start our classes today?"

"Yeah." Albus answered. "Let's go."

Rose led them back to the Great Hall. Scorpius was there, sitting in the corner. Once again, the only open seats were near him. Morgan sat down next to him. Rose sat next to her, with Albus on her other side.

"Hi, Scorpius." Morgan said.

"Hey." Scorpius responded quietly.

James strode down the Gryffindor table to where Albus and Rose were sitting.

"Malfoy." He said.

Scorpius did not reply.

"How are you in Gryffindor? Your father, grandfather, and grandmother were all Death Eaters. You should be in Slytherin, like the rest of your evil family." James asked.

Scorpius stood up, turning to face James.

"I'm not like them. You met me yesterday, so how do you hate me already? All of you hate me just because of the rest of my stupid family." He snarled, before grabbing his bag, and tossing his parting words over his shoulder. "Maybe you're the one who should be in Slytherin."

James gaped as Scorpius stormed out of the Great Hall.

"That was sudden." Morgan said in the silence afterwards. "I mean, he said like three words since we met him yesterday. Before this, of course."

Albus shot her a glare, and Morgan stopped talking.

"Albus, we need to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts." Rose said, glancing at the clock.

They gathered up their bags, and headed off for the classroom. James headed off for his Herbology lesson. Rose led Albus and Morgan to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. There were some other Ravenclaws and Gryffindors there, including Scorpius. A mirror with shadowy figures in it was on the table, along with a Sneakoscope. The Sneakoscope was silently balanced on its tip. Albus recalled his dad talking about Mad-Eye Moody's Foe-Glass once. The mirror must be another Foe-Glass. Albus sat in the seat furthest from Scorpius, with Rose and Morgan on either side of him.

A man in black robes strode up to the front of the class. His face was scarred from many battles.

"Hello, first years." He proclaimed gruffly. "I am Professor Wicktortail, your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I was an Auror before I became your teacher. We will learn basic defensive spells in this class, and throughout your years at Hogwarts, we will advance through defending against creatures such as werewolves, and finally to difficult defensive enchantments. I will teach you how to defend yourselves against Dark wizards such as the deceased Lord Voldemort."

Some students flinched at the sound of the name their parents would never say. The class was quiet, with the exception of Rose's quill scratching on her parchment as she took notes. A couple of Ravenclaws noticed her, and followed suit.

"Today, we will begin with the Disarming Charm. I do not expect you to have mastered it by the end of this period, but I hope some of you will succeed at least once." Professor Wicktortail continued. "The incantation is Expelliarmus. Get in pairs, and attempt to Disarm each other. Begin."

Albus paired up with Rose, and Morgan ended up with Scorpius, since she was the only one willing to work with him. Albus already knew about Disarming Charms, since his father had defeated Voldemort with one. Harry Potter had made sure that his son could use it, as it had saved his life multiple times.

"Expelliarmus!" He cried.

Rose's wand flew out of her hand. He didn't see another wand sail into the air, nor Morgan scrambling to pick it up.

"Excellent work." Professor Wicktortail praised. "Ten points for Gryffindor."

"Thank you, sir." Albus turned around and saw Professor Wicktortail on the other side of the room, speaking to Scorpius Malfoy.

"Halt!" Professor Wicktortail called. "Malfoy has already successfully performed the Disarming Charm. He has earned his House ten points. The next student will earn five points for his or her House, the third three, and the fourth one. I will be watching."

"Expelliarmus!" A jet of red light burst from the tip of Rose's wand and hit Albus.

Albus's wand clattered to the ground across the room.

"Another five points for Gryffindor, thanks to Rose Weasley!" Professor Wicktortail shouted.

In the Great Hall, five shining rubies dropped into the bottom half of the massive Gryffindor hourglass. Albus hurried across the room and picked up his wand. Two Ravenclaws got the next points, and four gleaming sapphires joined the small pile at the bottom of their hourglass. The lesson ended there, and they headed back up to the common room to wait for their next class.

Rose shrieked.

"What is it, Rosie?" James asked.

"Spider!" She backed away from the small arachnid.

Before James or Albus could react, Scorpius scooped the spider off the ground and dropped it out the window. It plummeted out of sight.

"Thanks." Rose said to Scorpius.

He nodded and returned to his corner, and returned to reading _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: hey I'm back. I'll be uploading my Vampire Diaries story later and explain my hiatus a little more. Hannie finally got around to writing the new chapter of this story. Alyssa is no longer helping write it but I'll be doing it now so thats good and I already have the new plot kind of sort of figured out.**

Rose and Albus walked back to the common room after their first day of classes, Morgan and Scorpius a few feet behind.

"I can't believe we already have work assigned to do on the first day!" Albus complained to his cousin.

"C'mon, Al, what did you expect? And I, for one, am excited to learn some magic!" Rose argued.

Albus rolled his eyes. Sometimes she acted too much like her mum.

"Anyways…" he said, lowering his voice, "what do you think about Scorpius?"

Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't know yet. He seems nice enough. Not like Dad's stories about his dad. I think if we gave him a chance…"

"Oi! Al! Rose!" Albus heard a voice call behind him. As he and Rose turned around they saw James, Alice, and Fred run up to them.

"Did you have Wicktortail's class yet? Did he give you the speech about how he got all the scars on his face?" James asked.

"Er… no?" Albus said, confused.

"Well, he was… You know what, he'll tell you later this year. Wouldn't want to ruin the story," he said with a wink.

Alice rolled her eyes. "How was your first day?"

Albus shrugged. "Wasn't nearly as exciting as dad made it out to be. The best part was watching Rose freak out over a spider," he said, a glint in his eyes.

Rose glared at him. "It was huge!"

"Only if by huge you mean tiny. At first I thought you were just screaming because Malfoy got the spell before you."

"MALFOY got the spell before you? Uncle Ron would cry if he heard," Fred said, amused.

"I still can't believe that he's in GRYFFINDOR of all houses. I was sure he'd be in slytherin!" James said. Albus nodded in agreement.

"I think the sorting hat has finally gotten to old to do the job correctly," Fred said.

"Hey, lay off him! He's not too bad, actually," Rose exclaimed, frowning.

James raised an eyebrow. "Defending Malfoy? I think that spider made you delusional."

Rose threw him a look as he walked away. Suddenly, Scorpius approached Rose.

"Er… I heard your conversation. Thank you," he said, as if he was unsure of how she would react.

Rose smiled at him. "No problem. James can be an idiot sometimes."

Scorpius let out a small laugh. "Well… thanks again."

And with that, he left the two cousins in silence.

"See… he's pretty decent, don't you think?" Rose said to Albus, a small smile still on her face.

Albus said nothing. Scorpius may not be like his father, but he still wasn't keen on trusting him.


End file.
